Immortality Syndrome
by Parsec
Summary: [Warning: this horror fic is rated R for graphic violence!]  After one of the girls suffers a gruesome fate, the professor finds a way to quickly revive them...but it has unforseen consequences... [Now includes URL to the comic adaption! (on Chap. 5)]
1. Chapter 1

[WARNING: This fic is rated R for graphic violence

[WARNING: This fic is rated R for graphic violence. Also, even though I'm usually a stickler for continuity in my fics, this one _does_ contain death. If either of these bother you, then I advise you not to read. That said, enjoy!]

**__**

Immortality Syndrome

By: Mark J. Hadley

* * *

The city of Townsville…and in the suburban home of the Utonium family, the PowerPuff Girls enjoy a much-needed Saturday off. Blossom was using the time to catch up on her reading, while Bubbles worked on papering the walls with her crayon drawings. Buttercup was spending time in the Professor's training room, honing her fighting skills. Professor Utonium himself was at the kitchen table, working on his latest theorem, since it was too noisy with Buttercup in the lab to work _there_. Except for the occasional dull explosion sound from the training room, all was quiet and peaceful in the house.

The doorbell interrupted this quiet. The professor got up and walked over to the door, calling out, "I'll get it!" He swung the door open, and asked, "May I help you?"

He suddenly froze in alarm, as he was not looking at a person, but rather, a large metal foot. Gazing up slowly, he saw the towering form of a giant robot staring down at him. The large glass bubble over the cockpit revealed its pilot…Mojo Jojo. He answered the professor sarcastically, "Ah, yes, Professor Utonium…can the girls come out and play?"

The professor forced a smile, and said, "Uh, well…I'll go check…" He quickly slammed the door shut, bracing his back against it, and called out, "_Girls_!"

Mojo waited patiently outside, drumming his fingers against the console aimlessly. A few moments later, the girls flew out from the front door. Blossom pointed at Mojo and called out, "What's the big idea? It's our day off!"

"Yeah!" Buttercup added, "Can't you come back tomorrow or something?"

Mojo shouted, "Absolutely not! I did not work late into the early hours of the morning constructing my most powerful Robo-Jojo to date, just to put it into storage! I intend to use it, to see it in action, and if all goes well, it will only see action once, as it will soon be destroying you!"

"Fine! If that's the way you want it…let 'em have it, girls!" Blossom ordered. The three of them immediately shot towards the robot, while below, the professor peered out from the front door. He decided it was safe enough to come out with the girls there, so he did so, and watched them begin their attack.

Mojo immediately opened fire with a spread of lasers from the arms, but the girls nimbly dodged around them. As they got close, he swatted at them with the robot's claws, knocking them into the ground together. As they picked themselves up, he armed a set of missile launchers.

Buttercup leapt up from the ground and shouted, "Yeah! Let's have it, Mojo…" One of the missiles launched directly at her, but she stood her ground. As it approached, she knocked it away into the sky with a punch, where it exploded harmlessly above them. Bubbles flew up next to her, while Blossom stayed on the ground, examining the robot from a distance to look for weak spots…

Mojo gritted his teeth, and said, "Very impressive…but let's see if you can knock _this_ away!" A hatch opened up on the body, and a spinning sawblade shot out, towards Buttercup. She raised her arm, ready to punch it the same way she had punched the missile.

Blossom, shouted, "No, Buttercup! Don't touch it!"

"Huh?" Buttercup said. She leaned to the side at the last second, but the blade clipped her arm cutting a huge gash along it. She yelped, and clutched it tightly…blood was seeping out from around her hand.

"Ha!" Mojo declared, "That blade was solid Duranium! It is strong enough to cut through _anything_, even _you_! And there are many more where that came from, as I have specially constructed a large batch of them in preparation for this battle!" With that, he fired five more blades, one after another, out of the body of the robot, spinning towards Bubbles and Buttercup, which quickly dodged out of the way as fast as they could.

Buttercup looped back around, hovering near where the professor was standing. He saw the gash on her arm, and said, "Buttercup, maybe I should take a look at that..."

"Nah, it's fine, Professor!" Buttercup insisted. "It looks worse than it is, really!"

The professor was concerned, but said, "I guess you're right...you'll be okay, but in the meantime, your sisters need your help…"

No sooner than these words were spoken, but Blossom, who had just started flying in towards the body of the robot in order to disable the sawblade shooter, was suddenly grabbed out of the air by one of the robot's claws. She struggled to break the grasp, but couldn't. Bubbles, in the meantime, was tugging on the other arm, trying to break it off from the robot.

Buttercup called out, "Hang on, Red!" and started flying over so she could assist her escape.

Before she could make it over, the robot held Blossom out in front of itself, and Mojo said, "Farewell, Blossom!" The body of the robot shot a sawblade directly at her. Blossom tried breaking free with her full strength, but the claws barely budged.

She screamed in panic, "AAAAAAAAAAAA—*…" and her scream was cut off with a loud *SCHLAK* sound. The other girls gasped, staring in absolute horror. The robot turned its claw face down, and released…two separate halves of Blossom fell to the ground. They landed on the street, in a slowly spreading pool of blood. There was no way she could possibly still be alive…

"My god..." the professor said softly.

"**_BLOSSOM!!!_**" Bubbles cried out at the top of her lungs, tears welling up in her eyes. Buttercup stared in shock, and couldn't believe what she had just seen…she thought to herself, _No, that didn't just happen…she's all right! She's got to be! No!!_

Mojo cackled gleefully, and shouted, "Yes!! I have defeated one of you at last! And there is no coming back this time! One down, two to go…it is only a matter of time now before I defeat the rest of you as well!" He didn't have time to gloat long, though, as suddenly, both Bubbles and Buttercup shot towards the robot with amazing speed, both of them screaming with rage. Before he could raise any kind of defense, they tore through the robot's arms, ripping them clear off from the body, and smashed through the glass bubble at the top. With a powerful blow, he was knocked clear out of the cockpit, where he landed on the ground. The robot tottered, then crashed to the ground also, exploding.

As he weakly tried to sit up, Bubbles and Buttercup flew over to him and started hitting him with punches and kicks, as hard as they could. They left him in critical condition, a twisted, mangled mess, barely conscious.

The professor, in the meantime, had run out to the street. A quick glance at Blossom's body was all he needed to confirm the awful truth. She had been severed in half, right across her neck. He still checked her vitals, in quiet desperation, even though he knew there was nothing they could do…

Bubbles, tears flowing down her face, was about to fly over, but Buttercup held onto her arm, keeping her from getting closer, "No, Bubbles…stay here…" Bubbles turned back to her, and hugged her, burying her head in her chest and crying. Buttercup patted her hand on Bubbles' back, trying to comfort her, but tears were streaming down her own face, too. She looked over at the professor hopefully, but he looked back at her, and shook his head sadly.

A moment later, both Blossom's head and body began to glow softly, and after a few seconds, in a blinding flash of light, both halves vanished, replaced by a pile of sugar, spice, and everything nice. That was the final proof; now that she had broken back down into her base elements, she was truly gone.

Bubbles cried softly, "…no…Blossom…"

"I know, kid…" Buttercup said, consolingly, "It's over…shhh…" She closed her eyes, and thought, _If only there was something I could have done…I could have kept this from happening…I should had been stronger! I should have attacked it with my full strength the moment I saw it…instead of playing around…_

The professor suddenly ran past them, back towards the house. His arms were cradling something. Bubbles looked up through her teary eyes, and said, "P-Professor?"

He hesitated, and turned to face them for a moment…they could see that he was holding the sugar, spice, and everything nice that had been left behind. He said, "I don't have time to explain! I've got to hurry!" He turned back to the house, and ran in through the front door.

Bubbles and Buttercup gave a questioning glance at each other. Bubbles asked, "What's he doing?"

"I dunno," Buttercup said, "but let's find out…"

They flew into the house, looking around, but the professor had already disappeared into his lab. As they approached the door, they heard a loud explosion. Startled, Buttercup quickly rushed forward and opened the door, flying in. Bubbles flew in right behind her.

"Professor, what was that exp--…" Buttercup began, but then both she and Bubbles froze, gasping in alarm. The professor was against the wall, like he had been thrown back by whatever explosion they just heard. But even more important, hovering over a bowl on one of the worktables…was Blossom. She lived…and even more amazing, she looked completely unharmed.

Bubbles and Buttercup flew over in a flash, hugging her tightly from both sides, "Blossom! You're alive!" Bubbles cried out happily.

"Oh man, I can't believe it!" Buttercup exclaimed, "I thought you were dead…"

Blossom, however, looked confused. "Huh? What are you talking about? Where am I?"

Bubbles glanced at her, "In the professor's lab…"

"Don't you remember what happened, Blossom?" Buttercup asked.

"Blossom? Is…is that my name?" she asked back.

"What do you m--…hey…" Buttercup said, suddenly realizing something, "What's _my_ name?" Blossom stared at her silently, and her puzzled look confirmed what she was thinking…

Meanwhile, by the wall, the professor sat up, rubbing his head, "Ughh…" He blinked his eyes a few times to clear them, then saw Blossom. His face lit up, "It worked! I can hardly believe it! It was a long shot, but I'm glad I took it…"

"Professor, what did you do?" Bubbles asked.

"Well," he replied, climbing back to his feet, "when Blossom broke down into her base components, it suddenly occurred to me that it might be possible to re-create her, simply by mixing them back together again with another small dose of Chemical X. And by golly, it worked!"

"Yeah, but…" Buttercup said, looking at Blossom, who was gazing around the lab, "…she doesn't remember us. She doesn't remember _anything_."

The professor explained, "She shouldn't. Even though her components are aged, technically she was _just_ created. Other than her basic operational memory and instincts, she won't remember anything she had learned since her original creation." He rubbed his chin, "Although, there's a chance she might recall some of it, if her memory signatures were somehow carried over on her genetic pattern. It's a possibility, but we won't know for sure until it happens."

Blossom forced a smile and said, "Uh, are you guys talking about _me_? Could someone tell me what's going on?"

"Patience, Blossom," the professor said, "I'll explain everything. For now, I'm just glad to have you back. Girls, take her upstairs and show her around, would you?" The girls nodded, and the three of them flew upstairs. As the professor watched them go, he thought to himself, _I can't believe it was that easy to bring Blossom back. I wonder if I'm doing the right thing, though…it feels like I'm granting the girls immortality, here. Well, it doesn't matter…all that matters is that we have our Blossom back with us. She'll be as good as new soon enough…_

* * *

The girls sat around the kitchen table, talking to each other. As they continued their discussion, the professor was fixing up dinner. In all the time the spent familiarizing Blossom with her life, they had all but forgotten the horrific events from earlier. They were all beginning to feel better at last.

"We're superheroes?" Blossom asked, amazed at what the girls told her. They had already told them who _they_ were, and the professor, and were now going into the subject of who _she_ was. She was a little surprised to hear that they had superpowers. She already knew she could fly, but she didn't know about the eyebeams, their super strength, or anything else.

"That's right. We're the PowerPuff Girls!" Buttercup told her. She continued, "And, um, I'm the leader, of course...since I'm the strongest fighter..."

Bubbles frowned, "Hey, that's not true! Blossom's the leader, not you!"

Buttercup sighed in frustration, "Bubbles! You ruined my one good chance..." She rubbed her arm softly as she talked, over the spot where she was cut earlier. _Man, that's going to leave a nasty scar, _she thought. _I hope it heals...it'll look pretty ugly._

"Wow..." Blossom said, musing over that last piece of information, "I'm really the leader? That's amazing! Why me?"

"Well," Buttercup said, "I'd hate to admit it, but you're the smartest one of us. I don't know if that's true _anymore_, 'cause you forgot everything, so maybe..."

"She could still learn everything again!" Bubbles said. Buttercup gritted her teeth, and finally just folded her arms, giving up.

The professor walked over to the table, setting down a dinner plate in front of each of the girls, with a scoop of casserole on each plate. Blossom picked up her fork, and said, "It looks delicious, Professor!"

"All right, let's dig in! I'm starving!" Buttercup exclaimed, grabbing her own fork. She and Bubbles started eating, while Blossom carefully took a forkful of the casserole, examining it. She smiled, and took a bite. While she chewed, she glanced down at her napkin on the table, and thought, _This could be a little messy, maybe I should tie my napkin around my neck..._

As she thought this, she suddenly froze. Her hands flew to her throat, taking in a sharp breath. Buttercup dropped her fork, concerned, "Bloss! You all right?"

Blossom, still with her hands around her throat, coughed, "…can't…breathe…"

The professor hurried over to her, to check her out, while the girls looked on, worried. After looking over her, she said, "It's all right, sweetie…stay calm…"

"No…" Blossom said, her voice still rough, "…my neck.…I can't…"

"It's okay," the professor explained. He frowned a little, "I was afraid this might happen…what you're experiencing is a phantom pain…your body is recalling what happened to you before, but you're going to be just fine…"

She relaxed a little, coughing a couple more times, and managed to say, "It hurt...it won't keep hurting like that, will it?"

The professor shook his head, "No...it might happen a few more times, but just remember that it's all in your mind, okay?"

"I'll try..." she said. She looked disturbed by the ordeal. The professor felt sorry for her..._What a terrible thing to have gone through,_ he thought,_ but I'm sure she'll be okay._ They managed to continue on with the rest of their dinner uneventfully, although the conversation was kept to a minimum for the most part... 

* * *

Nighttime. The girls were getting prepared for bed, after a long day of re-familiarizing Blossom with everything they could. Blossom seemed to be catching on pretty fast, although she still claimed that she didn't remember any of it. They told her about Townsville, about how they save they day and everything. Even though they had gotten over the incident with Mojo, the girls were just overjoyed to be having these conversations at all with her, especially after they thought she was gone for good. Now that the harrowing day was coming to a close, they were looking forward to some sleep, to rest up for the next day.

"So Townsville really loves us?" Blossom asked, crawling under the covers on the bed. "It _sounds_ like they would. I mean, we keep saving them from danger."

"Most of them do," Buttercup explained, also getting into bed, "but you gotta watch out for the criminals. They hate us, especially the big ones like Mojo Jojo."

Blossom nodded, "Right, you mentioned him earlier."

Bubbles flew over to the bed, dropping a big pile of stuffed animals down by her place, and said, "Mojo's a _bad_ monkey. 'Specially after today…there's not a good bone in his body."

Buttercup yawned, "Anyway, let's just get some sleep. G'night…"

The girls nestled into bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep. Hours passed, late into the middle of the night, and for the most part, they were sound asleep. Blossom, though, was tossing and turning a little bit. Images flashed through her sleeping mind briefly, fleeting glimpses that she could not make out. She felt as though she knew them…memories, but too distant to see clearly. However, she could not ignore them, as they continued to flash before her.

Blossom's eyes flew open, and she glanced around. In the darkness, she could see that the other girls were still asleep. Yawning, she flew up out of the bed and over to the bathroom. She filled a glass of water from the sink and drank it. Setting the glass down, she looked at herself in the mirror…her reflection stared back at her, and it seemed strangely unfamiliar, as though she wasn't looking at herself anymore.

She smiled slightly, and ran a hand through her hair. It was so beautiful, better than the other girls'. Especially after all she had heard from them, it sounded like she was the picture of perfection. She was the smartest of the PowerPuff Girls. She was their leader. And to top it all off, she was pretty to boot. Her long hair…those eyes, that smile…even her arms, her neck…

Another image flashed before her eyes. She could see it more clearly now…a towering form of metal. At the heart of it, a twisted, evil monkey…she thought she saw the other girls there, too, but the images were fleeting, switching quickly from one to the next. She suddenly saw herself, her arms pinned to her side, held by that towering monstrosity…she remembered how tightly it held her, even though it still seemed so distant, like a dream. But it was all rushing back to her…she couldn't move, she could barely breathe, as the thing held her…and from its body, she saw something flying towards her, like a spinning wheel of death…she felt a scream escape from her lips, and…

Blossom screamed, falling back from the mirror. She landed on the ground, clutching her throat in pain. The noise must have woken the others, because Bubbles and Buttercup flew into view by the bathroom door, and was joined a moment later by the professor.

"Blossom!" the professor exclaimed, "Just remember, it's in your mind...the pain isn't real..."

Despite the professor's words, Blossom still seemed tense. She shook her head, "No, professor, I…remember…I remember what happened…I remember everything…the robot, the…the pain…" She was crying now. "It was horrible…all of it…Professor, I-I don't want to remember…"

"Easy, Blossom," he said, "you've had a shock…"

Blossom looked up at him through her tears, and asked softly, "Why did you bring me back?"

"Now, sweetie, I…"

"_Why did you bring me back?_" she shouted, her tears turning suddenly to anger. "I can't take it…I can't get the memories out of my mind...they won't go away! I have to face the horror over and over again! I...I don't want to remember it, any of it..._I don't want to!_" Before they could say another word, Blossom flew past them in a flash of light, heading downstairs.

"Oh dear," the professor said. "Girls, you'd better go follow her, and talk to her a little bit…"

"Right!" Buttercup said. Bubbles nodded as well. The two of them flew out of the bathroom, looking for her, while the professor thought, _Her memories have come back…I knew it was possible, but I didn't realize the impact it would have on her. What have I done? By bringing her back to life, am I just putting her through more torment? Oh, I wish I knew what to do…_

* * *

They didn't find Blossom downstairs, and the front door was open, so the girls went out to search for her outdoors. Bubbles searched the woods and the suburbs, while Buttercup soared over Townsville, keeping an eye out for her amongst the buildings. As she did, she couldn't help but think over what Blossom said back at the house. It was a little chilling to see her like that.

_She seemed so different,_ Buttercup thought. _I hope she's not going to be like that forever. I'd rather have the old Blossom back…_

As she mused over these thoughts, she spotted Blossom, down below, sitting on the edge of one of the rooftops, atop one of the tallest buildings in the city. She was gazing off over the rest of the city, with her head resting in her hands. She looked like she was lost in deep thought. Buttercup landed on the roof behind her, and said, "Blossom?"

She didn't answer…instead, she continued to sit unmoving, never taking her eyes off the city. Buttercup said, "Look…we're getting a little worried about you. Why don't you come back home, so we can get back to sleep, and we can talk over it in the mor--…"

Blossom abruptly spoke up, "What do you see out there, Buttercup?"

Buttercup stared at her, confused, then looked out over the city. "Uhh, buildings?"

"And inside those buildings?"

"Uh, well…nothing right now, it's the middle of the night…"

"Exactly," Blossom nodded. "No movement, no life. The buildings are merely hollow shells, nothing more."

Buttercup scratched her head, "Blossom, what's going on?"

"I was just noticing how much like life this city is," Blossom remarked. "During the day, it's full of movement and energy, but once night falls, it becomes quiet. Still. Dead."

"But that's only until the next morning…"

"No," Blossom stated. "With life, there _is_ no 'tomorrow morning'. When night arrives, it all ends." She looked down at her hands, holding them up in front of her, "Except for me. Thanks to the professor, I have been given another morning…and I know the truth."

"What truth?"

"That the buildings were never really full." Blossom looked back out into the city. "The people that fill them are pointless…for when they have gone, the buildings will still be there, unmoved by their presence or actions. Take them away from the buildings early, and they are still unaffected. Such it is with us. We call it life, but in reality, there _is_ no life…only the stubborn refusal of death."

Buttercup looked worried, "Uh, Blossom, you're starting to scare me a little…"

Blossom turned and stared at her. It was a creepy look, almost like she was looking through her, like she wasn't there. She spoke, "You don't understand. You haven't seen Death. The truth about life, the pain and suffering, is revealed only for a moment before oblivion…but I have returned from that oblivion, and I remember everything. You see, life serves no purpose, other than the brief pain and suffering at the very end. That is all it exists for."

Buttercup shook her head, "No, that's not all there is! What about happiness?"

"What _about_ happiness?" she challenged. "What _is_ happiness, anyway, but the absence of suffering? No, it is just as pointless as life itself. Life is misery…it spreads misery to others, and creates more life, so that it can create even more misery. No, Buttercup, there is only one way to stop it…and that's to put an end to it."

"What?" Buttercup exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

Blossom stood up and faced her. "As long as life exists, there will be only pain and torment. Life is suffering...and the only way to put an end to all suffering, is to put an end to all life...which I intend to do, myself."

Buttercup took a step back, and frowned, "You're crazy! You've lost your mind, Blossom!"

Blossom shook her head, "Not at all…I finally see things clearly. We're the only ones that can understand, Buttercup…you, Bubbles and I, we have the power to escape the clutches of Death, and see the world as it really is."

"Now, hold on!" Buttercup shouted, "We're not like you, and we'll never _be_ like you! Life is _good_, no matter _what_ you say!"

Blossom closed her eyes and sighed. She said, "At least grant me this…take a look at the city once more, and tell me what you see."

Buttercup turned, and looked out across Townsville, "Buildings, the same as befo--…" At that moment, while her back was turned, Blossom struck her hard on the back of the neck. She toppled to the rooftop, knocked out from the blow. Still unsmiling, Blossom scooped Buttercup up from the ground and tossed her over her shoulder, and flew away from the rooftop…

* * *

Buttercup's eyes opened slowly. The back of her neck felt sore. She groaned, "Uhhhh..." and blinked a few times until she could see clearly. When she tried to move, though, she couldn't...struggling a little, she looked down and saw that she was lying on a table, and some heavy bands of metal bound her in place against it. No matter how hard she tried to break free, it wouldn't give.

The surroundings were different as well. She couldn't tell exactly where she was...maybe it was in an abandoned warehouse, or some basement. There were a few wooden tables, with several items scattered across it. She saw a set of test tubes and beakers, filled with a black liquid, sitting on a shelf. She also saw something else...Blossom, fiddling with something on the table. She looked up, her back still turned to Buttercup, and said, "So you're awake. Good, it's time to get started."

"What? Blossom, what's going on? Let me go!" Buttercup demanded. She tugged at the restraints again, but they wouldn't budge. _What's going on?_ she thought, _I'm not feeling weak right now...this should be a snap to get out of!_

"Don't bother struggling," Blossom informed her. "I collected some of Mojo's Duranium sawblades from the fight, and cut them into bands to make those restraints. They'll hold you." She picked up one of the sawblades from the table she was at and examined it. "As you can see, I left one intact, because I have a much more important use for it."

Buttercup didn't like the sound of that at all. She lifted her head from the table to see better, and said, "W-what are you going to do?"

Blossom turned to face her and said, "I tried to convince you before, but I see now that it was futile. You'll never understand what I'm trying to do, unless you first experience what I have." She glared coldly, "And for that, Buttercup, you must die."

"What? No!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Blossom, you don't mean it...you can't do this! It's not right!"

"But it _is_ right. This is the first step to the end of all suffering," Blossom told her, and started to float over to the table.

Buttercup took in a shaky breath, watching her come closer, with that awful blade in her hand. Alarmed, she stammered, "L-listen, Blossom...Y-you gotta think this over...there's g-gotta be another way..."

"There _is_ no other way. This is the only way," she replied.

"B-But, Blossom! I'm your s-sister!"

"And as sisters," Blossom agreed, "we will share a common purpose." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and ran her hand across Buttercup's chest, searching for a good place to begin. Buttercup gritted her teeth, watching in horror as she stopped over her heart. Blossom nodded, satisfied at the spot she found.

_She's actually going to do it!_ Buttercup thought. "No!" she sobbed, "Please, don't...please, I'll do anything..." As she pleaded, she saw her raise up the blade, and panicked, "Aah! Oh god, no! _Please_, Blossom, _don't!_"

Blossom carefully positioned the blade over the spot. Buttercup started breathing quickly, almost hyperventilating, and her eyes locked with Blossom's. She saw the complete lack of emotion in her face, and at that moment, it really dawned on her that she was going to die...she shrieked, "P-please, no!!_ NO!!_"

Blossom said nothing...instead, she brought the blade down, the sawed teeth cutting into Buttercup's chest. She immediately cried out in pain, and Blossom carefully pulled the blade down, cutting a long incision down the center of her body. It was a deep cut, with the blade buried halfway into her. Blood poured out of the wound, spilling across the table and onto the floor. Buttercup screamed in agony, with all her heart. Through the pain, her thoughts raced out of control: _Oh god this is it this is it I'm gonna die this is it it's all over it's all over..._

She tried to take in another breath, but she couldn't...as the darkness closed in around her, all she could feel was the pain. She gurgled once, and finally, her head lolled to the side, and she lay still. Blossom watched this impassively, pulling the bloodstained blade free from her and setting it on the other table. She waited.

As she expected, Buttercup started glowing faintly, then the glow grew brighter until it became a blinding flash of light. As it faded, Buttercup's sugar, spice, and everything nice was left behind. Blossom picked up a bowl from the table and carefully scraped everything into it, making sure not to miss anything.

She flew back over to the worktable with all the chemicals, picked up a long-handled spoon, and started mixing the contents of the bowl. As she mixed, she very carefully added a few drops of Chemical X from one of the test tubes. Setting the spoon down, she quickly flew to a safe distance and watched. The mixture suddenly exploded, filling the room with bright light once again.

As the light cleared, she could see Buttercup hovering above the bowl, back in perfect condition. She blinked her eyes a few times, looking around in confusion, "Where am I? What's going on?"

Blossom floated slowly over, still unsmiling, and said, "Listen to me. Your name is Buttercup, and you have forgotten your past. I will help you remember it, however." She pointed to the table with the restraints, and said, "Look over there...what do you see?"

Buttercup stared at the table, and at first was a bit revolted, "Is..is that blood? What..."

"Do you recognize the table?" Blossom asked. "Those restraints?"

"I...don't know...I think..." Buttercup held her head, trying to remember. "It seems familiar...I just..."

Blossom flew over to another table and picked up the blade. She held it up over her own chest, over precisely the same position where she began the cut on Buttercup before. Buttercup stared at the blade, and raised her hand, holding it against her own chest, "That..." She suddenly took a sharp intake of breath, and clutched her chest with both of her hands. She cringed, and slowly hovered down to the ground, landing on her knees, doubled over in pain.

Blossom flew over and stood in front of her. She said flatly, "Do you remember?"

Tears flowing from her eyes, Buttercup nodded without looking up, and sobbed, "Yes..."

"And you remember what I told you before? About life?"

"Y-yes..."

Her eyes narrowed, "And do you understand now?"

Buttercup looked up at her, through her tears, and nodded, "Yes...I do..."

"Excellent," Blossom said, helping Buttercup to her feet. She turned to look out of a window, and added, "We can finally begin, now. Tonight..."

**__**

END OF CHAPTER 1


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 **__**

CHAPTER 2

Bubbles returned home...her search had not turned up anything, even after a whole hour had passed, and she was beginning to grow tired. _I hope Buttercup has better luck_, she thought. She came in through the front door, and noticed that Professor Utonium was still awake, waiting up for them.

"Did you find Blossom?" he asked.

Bubbles shook her head, "No...I'm sorry. I looked all over. Maybe Buttercup found her."

"I hope so...she really looked disturbed," the professor said. He sighed, "You know, I've been thinking about it...maybe it wasn't right to do what I did..."

"What do you mean?"

"Bringing Blossom back to life," he explained. "People shouldn't have control over life and death like that...and she seemed so distressed. Maybe I shouldn't have done it..."

"Professor, don't say that!" Bubbles exclaimed. "Blossom _had_ to come back! If it weren't for Mojo, she would have been alive _anyway_!"

The professor rubbed his chin and said, "I guess you're right. Look, I'm going to sleep...we can go over all this in the morning. I'm sure the girls will be back soon, anyway." He walked out of the room, heading upstairs.

Bubbles watched him go, and hung her head slightly, thinking, _This is awful...I wish Mojo wouldn't have fought us today...I don't know what to think about all this, I'm so confused..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound from the front door. She turned around in surprise, but her expression turned to relief as she saw who it was. She sighed, "Girls...I'm glad you're back...where did you find her?"

Blossom and Buttercup hovered by the door, unsmiling, their gazes fixed onto Bubbles. Buttercup spoke up, "I spotted her sitting on one of the buildings."

"Okay...are you all right, Blossom?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom nodded, "Buttercup and I had a long talk. I feel much better now...I think we should just get some sleep." She glanced over at Buttercup and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Buttercup nodded back to her, and looked at Bubbles, "We're going to go outside and talk a little more. I just wanted to stop by and let you know we're all right. We'll be back shortly, okay?"

"Okay," Bubbles said, "I was just worried, 'cause I didn't find Blossom anywhere myself, and..." She stopped, and looked at Buttercup's arm. "Buttercup...what happened to that cut? It's gone..."

Glancing at her arm, she said, "It healed, I guess."

"Already?"

"Yes, it's amazing," Blossom said. "Maybe we have super healing abilities or something. None of us have ever actually been _hurt_ before, so we never knew up to now."

Bubbles scratched her head, hesitating. She finally smiled and said, "Okay! Well, I'm going to bed...see you later!" She flew out of the room towards the steps.

Blossom and Buttercup watched her leave the room and waited for another minute. After they knew she was safely away, Buttercup whispered, "She's suspicious."

Blossom whispered back, "Maybe...but I don't think smart enough to figure it out. We're still safe right now."

Buttercup nodded, "So now what? Do we need to get anything else from the lab while we're here?"

"No," Blossom whispered. "We already have everything we need. Just remember what I told you, and they won't be able to do anything to stop us."

"Right," Buttercup nodded.

"As for right now, step one is complete." Blossom looked over at the door, "Let's prepare for step two." Both of them flew over to the front door, and left the house. The door shut behind them, leaving everything quiet and empty again.

Or so they thought. Bubbles peeked out from around the corner. Instead of going upstairs, she had waited nearby to listen to them when she had left the room before. Even though they whispered, she heard them with her super hearing...and she still couldn't believe what she had heard.

__

What's going on? she thought. _What were they talking about? Stop them from what?_ She bit her lip, and thought, _I'd better follow them...ohh, something's not right...I don't like this..._

* * *

Blossom and Buttercup soared low through the city, weaving between buildings. Bubbles stayed at a safe distance, but it was difficult keeping up with them. She had to stay out of the their sight, but at the same time, not lose track of the erratic path they were taking through the city. Her thoughts raced as she followed, _There's gotta be a good reason for this...maybe...maybe they're just making sure the streets are safe...maybe they...oh, I don't know, this doesn't make any sense!_

As she rounded the next building, though, she slowed. They were nowhere in sight. She glanced around quickly, but saw no sign of them. She hovered in the center of the empty street and tried to decide what to do next, and decided that maybe it might be a good idea to fly above the city...she might be spotted, but not if she flies high enough...

As she considered her options, something suddenly seized her from behind...it was Blossom. She had darted out of the alley and grabbed her in a full-nelson. She tried to struggle free, but she held her firmly. "Blossom, what...!"

"Easy, Bubbles," Blossom said. "Don't make this any harder." A moment later, Buttercup flew out from behind another building, stopping in front of them. Blossom nodded to her, "I've got it under control, Buttercup."

"What's going on?" Bubbles exclaimed. "Buttercup?!"

Buttercup drifted forward, her expression still cold and unfeeling. She said, "Not exactly how we planned it, but it still worked out. Want me to do it?"

"Yes," Blossom said, "She's not going anywhere."

Bubbles watched as Buttercup withdrew a sawblade. She recognized it instantly as one of Mojo's Duranium blades. It gleamed, even in the dim light of the streetlights, but even so, she could see that it was stained with blood. Bubbles gasped, and stammered, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Why, nothing," Blossom answered. "Just inducting you into our little family. You see, Bubbles, they say that staring into the face of Death can change a person. It has been an enlightening experience, hasn't it, Buttercup?"

Buttercup nodded, "That's right. It certainly has...as I'm sure Bubbles is about to find out."

Bubbles blanched as she watched Buttercup come closer, holding the blade out. She tried to get away, but she was held too tightly by Blossom. "N-no! Girls, it's me!" she said, trying to reason with them, but her heart sunk as she realized that it wasn't going to do any good...they weren't listening to her.

Approaching her, Buttercup raised the blade, preparing to swing. She said, "We'll see you soon, Bubbles." With that, she swung the blade directly for her.

"_NOO!!_" Bubbles screamed, and at the last instant, she spun sideways with her full strength. It was a surprising display of force that took Blossom off-guard, and she was pulled around in front by the move...as Buttercup's blade came down, it missed its intended target, cutting into Blossom's arm instead. She cried out in pain, and released Bubbles, gripping the wound. Bubbles immediately took advantage of this opportunity, and flew away as fast as she could.

Blossom shouted through her teeth, "Don't let her get away!"

Without hesitation, Buttercup flew after her, blade at the ready. Bubbles looked behind her, noticing this, and screamed in fright. _They're gonna kill me!_ she thought. _What do I do? What do I do?!_ She looked around feverishly, trying to find someplace to hide, and finally spotted Townsville Dump. She flew in low, weaving around some of the larger piles of junk, then stopped behind one of them. She crawled into an old, rusty automobile, and curled up, catching her breath.

She shook fearfully, and hoped they didn't spot her, because now there was nowhere for her to run if they did. She listened carefully for a few seconds. Everything was so quiet. She was about to peep out of her hiding place, when she heard a rush of air, and saw Buttercup land across the way, near another pile of junk, her back to Bubbles.

Stifling a cry, she held her hands over her mouth, and tried to stay as quiet as possible. Her breathing quickened...she was too afraid to keep it under control, and was more worried than ever that Buttercup might hear it. She thought, _please don't let her find me please don't let her find me please don't let her find me..._

Buttercup looked to her left, then to her right. She turned slowly, and for a moment, she looked directly at Bubbles' hiding place. Bubbles stayed as still as possible, but she was still shaking. After a few tense moments, Buttercup looked in another direction. Bubbles was about to give a sigh of relief, when Buttercup suddenly started walking in her direction.

__

Oh no! she thought. _She found me! What do I do? Run for it! No, maybe she didn't find you! Wait here! No, you have to run!_ She saw Buttercup grow nearer and nearer, and clenched her eyes shut, desperately trying to keep quiet...she waited for the worst...

Buttercup stopped, suddenly, next to an old couch that was sitting in a pile of junk next to the car. In anger, she kicked it, sending it flying off into the distance. She shook her head, and finally flew up into the air, disappearing from view.

Bubbles let out a shaky breath, and tried to calm down, holding a hand across her chest. Her heart was racing out of control. _Calm down, _she thought to herself,_ she's gone now...you're okay..._ She very cautiously emerged from the old car and looked around. Sure enough, the coast was clear. She thought, _This is terrible! Blossom...Buttercup...I gotta go talk to the professor, he'll know what to do..._

* * *

Blossom was back at their makeshift headquarters. She had already bandaged up the wound over her arm, and was now working at one of the tables. Using a small, hand-held laser borrowed from the professor's lab, she was cutting and shaping one of the pieces of Duranium that she had recovered from Mojo. As she worked, she heard Buttercup fly in through the window. Without looking up, she said, "You didn't catch her, did you?'

"She's fast," Buttercup claimed. "I didn't see where she flew off to."

Blossom frowned, "I know where she is...right now, she's probably on here way back to the professor, to tell him about us. We won't be able to keep our goals a secret much longer."

"Well, let's stop her, then." Buttercup said.

"No," Blossom said, shaking her head. "They can't do anything. It's time to focus back on our original objective. Bubbles will not be a problem; she won't be able to stop us. And if she foolishly tries, we'll be prepared." She stopped working with the laser, and held up the piece of metal, which she had crafted into a crude, yet razor-sharp sword.

She handed it to Buttercup, who examined it carefully under the light, and nodded. "Yes, this will do nicely..." With a quick motion, she swung it once in practice, the air whistling dangerously around the edge of its blade. If she was still capable of smiling, she probably would have.

* * *

In tears, Bubbles explained to the professor everything that happened. He listened in awe, sitting with her at the kitchen table, unable to believe it. "And they tried to kill you?!" he asked incredulously.

Bubbles sniffed, "Y-yes...ohh, Professor, what happened to them?"

"I don't know," he replied. Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are you sure that the cut on Buttercup's arm was gone?"

"I'm positive," she said.

"Then it's just as bad as I feared." The professor got up and started walking over for the door to his lab. "Bubbles, I'm afraid that Blossom must have killed Buttercup...she then mixed her components back together with Chemical X, like I did with her..."

"No...why would she do it?" Bubbles insisted. "She'd _never_ do anything like that..."

The professor opened the door to the lab, and started walking down the steps. He said, "Something must have happened when she got her memories back. She was disturbed, I could see it in her face. Who _knows_ how that experience could change a person? As I said before, I should have been more careful...I didn't understand the consequences of bringing her back..."

Bubbles choked back her tears as she followed him into the lab. She said, "What can we do? Isn't there _any_ way we can get them back to the way they were?"

"I doubt it," the professor said, flatly. "But, there's always a possibility. If I could just examine one of them, perhaps I can do something to help them."

"But how? They aren't going to just _let_ you..." she reminded him.

"I know...that's why I'm going to need your help to do it." Stopping by one of the tables, he picked up a vial of a dark black liquid. Handing it to Bubbles, he said, "Be careful with this, sweetie; don't get any of it on you."

She looked at it, and asked, "What is it?"

"Antidote X," he answered. "It should be just enough to remove their powers. What I need you to do is use it on them...that way, when they lose their powers, you can bring them back here easily, and we can find out if there's a way to safely reverse what happened to them."

Bubbles held the vial gingerly...she was never comfortable about Antidote X. Still, she gathered her courage and said, "I understand, Professor. I'll do my best..." She tucked the vial away carefully, and turned to fly out of the lab.

"Hurry, Bubbles," the professor told her. "There's no telling what they'll do in their condition." Bubbles nodded, and disappeared from the lab. After she left, the professor sank down into a chair and held his face in his hands. _My god_, he thought to himself, _what have I done?_

* * *

Bubbles flew high above the city, staying amongst the clouds in case the girls were looking for her. She still found it difficult to accept that Blossom and Buttercup were actually trying to kill her. Worse, though, they had something else planned. She could tell they weren't just out to get _her_...she had to know what they were planning.

_I just want them back_, she thought. _I don't care what it takes, I want them back...I really hope the professor can do something to save them. I couldn't bear the thought of losing them..._

She noticed something below that caught her eyes...bright streaks of pink and green flying into Townsville Park. It was them, she knew it. They circled around the park for a moment, then headed straight for the volcano-top observatory, busting in through one side.

Bubbles wondered what they were doing at Mojo's hideout. After all, Mojo was in prison right now. She decided that she'd better take a closer look. Flying cautiously down, she approached one of the windows on the side and peered in. She saw Blossom pulling Mojo's giant laser from it's stand, carrying it over towards the hole in the wall that they made. Buttercup, in the meantime, was coming out of his arsenal, carrying a huge load of missiles and other explosives.

_What are they doing with all that?_ she thought. She kept watching, and they both carried everything out of the observatory, flying down the side of the volcano and setting it in a pile on the ground. Blossom stood next to the pile, facing away from Bubbles, and she noticed that she had some kind of long metal sword strapped to her back.

As she watched, Blossom inclined her head slightly, as though she had just noticed something. She looked away from the pile and glanced at Buttercup, nodding. Buttercup nodded back and flew towards the side of the observatory, while Blossom resumed looking at the giant laser. Bubbles, confused, looked past her to see what she was looking at. The control screen of the laser was turned off, but it was still shiny and reflective...and she could see Blossom's reflection, looking _directly at her_...

She gasped, and floated back a few feet, knowing that she had been discovered. She heard a whooshing sound behind her, and quickly spun around, trying to move away from the source. Buttercup was there, with a sword similar to Blossom's in hand, and had swung it at her. Had she still been in the spot she was a few seconds ago, it would have all been over for her...instead, only the very tip of the sword hit, slashing across her.

She screamed and fell from the air, grasping her midsection where it had hit. She crashed into the ground, but barely noticed, as her attention was on her wound. Lifting her arm away from it, she saw her hand soaked in blood. She barely had time to think about this, though, as she saw Buttercup dropping out of the sky towards her. With a shriek, Bubbles rolled to one side, and the end of the sword stuck into the ground next to her. Without the time to get back to her feet, she scrambled backwards, trying to get some distance without taking her eyes off of her.

By now, Blossom had flown over, and she now stood next to Buttercup, who pulled her sword from the ground. Blossom drew her own sword from behind her and said, "Bubbles, I'm happy that you showed up. We have some unfinished business."

"What are you doing here?" Bubbles cried back. "Why are you stealing all of Mojo's destructive things?"

"A means to an end, sister," Buttercup said. "I'm not gonna try to explain it to you, 'cause there's a much easier way."

"Yes," agreed Blossom. "Once you die, you will understand...and together, the three of us can finally put an end to all life..."

The horror of Blossom's words struck Bubbles, and she exclaimed, "Wh-what do you mean, p-put and end to all l-life?! Y-you can't!"

"I assure you, we can," Blossom said. "Now...are you prepared to die?"

Bubbles closed her eyes, as tears streamed down her face. She whispered softly, "I...I don't...wanna die..."

Blossom started walking towards her, raising her sword, "You have no choice." She prepared to deliver a deathblow to the prone Bubbles, who sat unmoving. "Now, you will finally realize what must be done..."

Bubbles spoke, "I _do_ understand now what must be done..." Her eyes flew open, and she shouted, "..._THIS!_" She pulled out the vial of Antidote X and splashed some of it at Blossom, who was unprepared for this move. Some of it got in her eyes, and she dropped the sword, covering her face in pain, "Aaaagh!" She stumbled back weakly, and Bubbles could tell that it had worked...she had lost her powers. Buttercup watched this in awe, not moving from her own position.

Bubbles wasted no time in leaping back to her feet and charging Blossom. With a single punch, she knocked her up off the ground. However, she suddenly realized that, although she pulled her punch a little due to Blossom being a normal girl now, she hadn't pulled her punch as much as she should have. Blossom was knocked high into the air, and came down over a black wrought-iron fence surrounding the edge of the park. With a sickening *CHLUNK*, she was impaled on one of the iron spikes on top of the fence.

Bubbles gasped, covering her mouth in horror...she didn't mean for that to happen. Blossom raised her head in surprise, staring at the blood-covered spike sticking out of her chest, almost uncomprehendingly. Her shaky arms grasped it weakly, and she coughed, blood seeping out of her mouth. She was still moving, still alive...

Buttercup turned to glare at Bubbles, but instead of attacking, she returned the sword to her back and flew over to Blossom, grabbing her and sliding her up and off of the spike. Blossom screamed in agony as this happened, and finally fell limp. Leaving a trail of dropping blood behind her, Buttercup carried her off into the sky.

Bubbles let them go...she was too terrified at herself for what she had just done. She also realized that she had more important matters to attend to. Using her eyebeams, she quickly blasted the giant laser and the pile of weapons and explosives that the girls had collected. She didn't know what they were going to use them for, but now, they weren't going to use them for _anything_.

Just as she was about to fly off, she looked down at the ground where Blossom had dropped her sword, and warily picked it up. She looked at her own reflection in its blade, and frowned sadly, thinking, O_h please, Blossom...forgive me for what I did...I-I didn't mean to kill you...I didn't mean it..._

* * *

The professor examined the latest tests under the microscope. With his previous data on the PowerPuff Girls, he had begun conducting a few experiments with single cells, to observe the effects of terminating PowerPuff cells, then resurrecting them. His findings on the last test were definitely significant...

Bubbles came into the lab, closing the door behind her, and leaning up against it, setting down the sword she was carrying...she was breathing heavily, but the professor couldn't tell if it was from exhaustion or fear. "Are you all right, Bubbles? Did the Antidote X work?"

"Professor," Bubbles managed to say, "I...I'm sorry..."

"What happened?" he asked, concerned.

Bubbles flew over to him, hugging his arm, and said, "It worked...it worked, Professor, but...I hit her and...and knocked her into..." She broke off and started crying, clenching her eyes shut, "She's dead...I didn't mean to do it...I didn't..."

"Shhh..." the professor said, rubbing her head consolingly. "I know you didn't mean it. It's terrible, I know, but you can't blame yourself..."

With her eyes still shut, she sobbed, "No, it was my fault, Professor...and Buttercup, she flew off with...with Blossom's b-body and..."

"She what?" the professor exclaimed. He thought about this for a moment, and said, "Bubbles, I think I know what Buttercup was going to do...she was going to bring her back to life, like we did with her before..."

Bubbles looked up, and said, "What? Y-you mean...she'll be alive again?"

"Yes...but this is not good," he said, worried. "You see, that means that as long as one of them remains alive, they can always bring the other back to life. This means that whatever they're planning, it'll be difficult to stop them...almost impossible...you'd have to stop them both at the same time."

That suddenly made Bubbles remember what she heard earlier. She flew up and said, "Professor! I heard them say that they wanted to put an end to all life..."

The professor's eyes widened, "Great Scott...this is worse than I thought! I never imagined it would affect them like this...Bubbles, if they're serious about this, we have to stop them at all costs!"

"Can't you bring them back to normal?" she asked, "I thought you were working on a way to do it..."

"Yes, I was just running some tests," he said, "but unfortunately, my findings are discouraging. As I had thought, there is a residual memory signature that seems to carry over on the genetic pattern of the components. If there were some way of preventing this from happening, it would be just like creating them from new again. But...there isn't. I tried, and unfortunately, the samples won't return to life without it."

"So...they're stuck like this?" Bubbles said.

"I don't know for sure...there might be a way to suppress the memories, so that they're never recalled anyway. I need to continue my research, but who knows how long it would take? It's vital that we stop the girls _now_, before they do anything drastic..."

* * *

Back in the girls' makeshift headquarters, Blossom was lying on the ground, back in perfect condition, but clutching her stomach in pain. Buttercup set down the mixing spoon and stood over her, waiting patiently. Eventually Blossom looked up, narrowing her eyes, "Bubbles will pay for that..."

"Yes," Buttercup agreed. "There's something else I have to tell you...on the way back, I heard an explosion behind me. I think she destroyed all the equipment we gathered."

Blossom got back to her feet, and frowned, "This will set back our plans." She looked out of the window, and noticed that the night was going to come to a close soon. "Well, it doesn't matter. The city will soon be filled with people once again, so we can begin our task the conventional way."

Buttercup nodded. She pulled out her sword and examined the edge. "I'm ready when you are."

* * *

It was still dark out, but the streets were becoming alive with people once again, heading about on their daily lives. Bubbles carefully flew down amongst the people, looking around for her sisters. She was tired, since she had gotten almost no sleep during the night. She knew she had to stay alert, though...they could strike at any moment. The sword she had recovered from them was slung on her back; she decided that if it came down to it, she'd better be prepared to use it.

She watched all the people, and just couldn't understand why the girls decided they wanted to destroy life. Just the idea of the world being returned to a dusty, dead ball of rock upset her_. Life is beautiful_, she thought. _What gives them the right to pass judgment on the world like this?_

Some of the people down by the street waved to her as she flew by. She waved back, but her heart really wasn't in it. All she could think about was how they were all going to die if she couldn't protect them. Her confidence was shaken...how could she protect them alone, from both Blossom _and_ Buttercup?

_Everything depends on me_, she thought. _I can't let them down...I have to be strong! I can do it, no matter how hard it is..._

She stopped and rested against the side of a building. _It was so quiet...maybe they aren't going to try anything...maybe they won't show up today...I hope they don't, I could really use the sleep...just a little sleep...so tired..._ Her eyes closed slowly...

A loud noise suddenly caused her to open them again. Off in the distance, she thought she heard a explosion. She saw smoke rising from Townsville Park. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage once again and flew off towards the park. As she approached, she saw a terrible sight: the entire park was on fire, in a huge burning blaze...the flickering light from the fire lit the surrounding buildings in a dull orange glow.

Hovering high above the park, she saw them...Blossom and Buttercup, arms folded, gazed down at the inferno below. In the light of the fire, with their cold-hearted expressions, they looked positively corrupt and evil. To her horror, she thought she heard the sound of people screaming from the park. Their attack had begun, and already people were suffering. She had already failed to protect all of them. As the hopelessness of the situation began to dawn on her, she silently hoped there was something she could do..._anything_...

**__**

END OF CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 **__**

CHAPTER 3

Blossom gazed down at the burning fire in the park. The trees were ablaze, the flames spread quickly across the grass…it would almost be beautiful to watch, were it not for the seriousness of her task at hand. She noticed that there was only about a dozen people in the park at the time…not as many as she had hoped for, but it was a start.

Glancing to one side, Buttercup saw people beginning to congregate near the edge of the fire, onlookers that came to find out what was going on. She pointed them out, "More of them, Blossom. Our little light show seems to be attracting them."

Blossom nodded. She reached onto her back, drawing a sword that she had constructed to replace the one she had lost earlier. "Superb," she said. "This will make the job a lot easier. Let's begin, shall we?"

Way off to one side, Bubbles was watching this. She saw the people coming near the edge of the park, curious about the fire, and she saw Blossom drawing her sword. The people didn't seemed too alarmed, because they had no idea what was going to happen to them. _No, get away!_ she thought. _She's going to kill you all! Get out of there!_ She was horrified to see both Blossom and Buttercup dive towards them, swords at the ready. She gritted her teeth, and thought, _I won't let you do it! Not another person!_

She fired a blast from her eyebeams, striking them from the side and knocking them out of the air. They impacted into the side of a nearby building. While the people looked on, confused, Bubbles flew over and shouted, "Get out of here! It's dangerous!" The crowd didn't run all at once, so Bubbles yelled louder, "What are you waiting for?! _Go_!"

They finally started to run away from the area. As Bubbles watched them go, she was suddenly rammed into from the side and knocked from the air. Buttercup had charged into her, shoulder first. She landed in the park, skidding across the ground and striking into a burning tree. It split under the impact, causing a shower of burning leaves to drift down over her. She ignored it—the fire couldn't hurt her anyway—and climbed back to her feet.

Buttercup looked down at her and said, "Why are you trying to stop us? This is something that needs to be done, Bubbles…and besides, you know you don't stand a chance against us."

"I don't care!" Bubbles shouted back. She picked up one of the halves of the tree she had split through, and swung it like a club. Its burning leaves left a fiery arc in the air, and it struck Buttercup, causing a brief explosion of burning embers to fill the air. Buttercup was knocked down the street…as this happened, Blossom flew into view, and Bubbles wasted no time in throwing the entire tree at her. It slammed into her and carried her into the street near where Buttercup had landed. Bubbles didn't pursue them immediately; she hesitated, trying to decide what to do next.

Both of them sat up, rubbing their heads, and a group of onlookers from the street started to circle around them. One of them asked, "Blossom? Buttercup? Are you all right?"

Blossom looked over at Buttercup and said, "What do you think?"

"Let's not pass up the opportunity." she answered.

"I agree," Blossom nodded, and raised her sword, "Let's not."

Bubbles gaped in horrified disbelief at the scene in the distance. She watched helplessly as the girls raised their swords and flew into the crowd, effortlessly slashing the people nearest to them. The people panicked and tried to run, but they were too fast; they waded through them, swathing a path of death behind them…

_Ohmygod,_ Bubbles thought, o_hmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod…_

It all happened so fast. Before she could even react, the slaughter was over…dozens of bodies lined the street, like something out of a nightmare. Floating in the middle of it, like a pair of demons, the girls glanced around coldly, as though admiring their handiwork. Bubbles couldn't take it anymore…all she did was let up on them for a second, and innocent people suffered. She shrieked, "_NOOOOO!!!_" and flew towards them, pulling out her own sword.

They were prepared for her, though. Both of them leapt in opposite directions, and she ended up flying between them. She landed on the street and spun around to face them, holding her sword out in front of her defensively. The blood on the ground at her feet sickened her, but she was too angry to care. She furiously cried out, "How could you _do_ this?!"

"Bubbles, Bubbles…" Buttercup said in a condescending way. "It would all become clear to you if you would only join us…"

"I'd rather d--…" Bubbles cut herself off, as she realized that it didn't mater. She narrowed her eyes, and said, "All I want is the _old_ Blossom and Buttercup back, and you're not them. But they're inside you somewhere, I know it…"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Blossom said. "We haven't changed…we're still the same. We just know the truth about life. It serves no purpose other than to create suffering and despair."

Buttercup nodded, "That's right. We're still superheroes, after all. We still try to put right what is wrong. We just know our true target now."

Blossom continued, "The longer we wait, the more life spreads, and the more torment it creates. Only by eradicating it from this world can it ever hope to have peace again. And peace it shall have, spinning forever through eternity, with no more pain…only silent bliss…"

Their words chilled Bubbles. Standing her ground, she tried to stay firm against them, but the sword shook visibly in her hand. She spoke slowly, nearly spitting the words out, "You're not any kind of heroes…you're no better than Mojo…"

"Mojo?" Blossom said. "He had the right idea all along; he just wasn't aware of it. We should thank him, anyway—_and_ the professor—for opening our eyes. And rest assured, we _will_, before sending them on their way to oblivion…"

That finally did it…Bubbles threw back her head and screamed in anger. It was a loud, powerful scream that caused all the windows in the buildings along the side of the street to shatter at once. She leapt forward in a flash of blue, her sword raised over her head.

She came down towards Blossom first, slashing wildly. Blossom nimbly dodged most of her swings, backing up away from her advance, and raised her sword to block the last swing. Bubbles sensed that Buttercup was trying to come up behind her, and quickly spun around, her sword cutting a 360-degree arc in the air. Buttercup jumped back to avoid it just in time.

They both swung at her at the same time…she quickly ducked, and they missed. Raising her sword up again, she thrusted the edge of it towards Buttercup, who parried with her own sword. Bubbles immediately followed it with a strong swing, and their two swords clashed together, each of them pushing hard against it, trying to overpower the other. Blossom advanced towards Bubbles' unprotected side, but she was prepared for her…still pushing against Buttercup's sword, she brought both of her feet up and kicked as hard as she could. The blow set Blossom flying up into the air, and onto one of the rooftops.

She concentrated back on the power struggle with Buttercup, who gritted her teeth and said, "Give it up, Bubbles! You know I'm stronger than you…"

"Not…for…long…" Bubbles grunted, exerting her full strength into keeping Buttercup's sword at bay. She finally pulled one of her hands away from the sword in a flash…that gave Buttercup the advantage, and Bubbles' sword was knocked away. Bubbles, however, had enough time to grab the vial of Antidote X she had tucked away, and she splashed the rest of its contents up at her.

"No!" Buttercup yelled, staggering back. She tried to wipe it off of herself, but it had already done its job, rendering her powerless. Bubbles dropped the empty vial, and dove for her sword. In a cry of rage, Buttercup tried to take another swing at her, but she had already raised the sword and blocked it…then, with one easy motion, she knocked Buttercup's weapon away.

She fell back, and raised her arms protectively in front of her face. Bubbles raised her sword, preparing to deliver the deathblow…but she hesitated. Something deep inside her kept her from doing it. _She killed these people!_ she told herself. _She's not Buttercup anymore, she's a monster! A demon! But…she's my sister…we could still save her…there has to be a way…_

She finally brought the end of the sword down, hilt-first, clobbering Buttercup with it. She collapsed, out cold. Bubbles returned the sword to her back, and lifted Buttercup up, throwing her over her shoulder. As she flew off, heading back for home, she glanced back, and saw Blossom standing on one of the rooftops, watching her leave but not pursuing. _I don't like leaving Blossom out here like this_, she thought, _but I don't have a choice. I don't think I can beat her now, by myself. Maybe, if the professor can bring the old Buttercup back, we'd have a better chance…_

* * *

The professor secured the unconscious Buttercup to a table in the lab, and said, "This is very dangerous, you know, Bubbles. If this doesn't work, we could be in trouble, especially if she decides to attack."

"I'll be ready for it, Professor," Bubbles insisted. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"All right," he said reluctantly. He looked around for a moment, and added, "You've also left me in an uncomfortable situation…she has to die for the procedure to work, remember."

"I-I know," Bubbles said, "but I just couldn't do it…"

"Don't worry…I guess it's easier on her this way. It will be painless. Maybe, the fact that it's painless will be what ends up changing her back to her old self. It's a possibility."

He pulled a set of air tanks over to the table, and moved over to fix the gas mask on Buttercup. She stirred, coming back around, and blinked a few times, "Uhhh, wha…" Her eyes flew open as she realized where she was. The professor quickly fixed the mask to her face, as she protested, "No wait, I---mmph! Mmmmph!" She thrashed a little, but she was held securely in place by the restraints. The professor quickly turned on the nitrous oxide. Gradually, she seemed to calm down, and her eyes drooped, then slowly closed.

Once he was sure Buttercup was completely out, the Professor picked up a needle from a tray of supplies. He took a deep breath, then carefully injected her in the arm with it. Gazing up at the readouts on the monitor, he watched her vital signs. They gradually weakened, then eventually flatlined altogether.

Bubbles wiped a tear from her eye, thinking, _With all the death I've seen in the past day, I thought I'd be used to it by now…but I don't think I'll ever get used to it_…

Both of them shielded their eyes, as Buttercup's lifeless body began to glow brightly, and she broke back down into her base elements. The professor gathered them up into a bowl and brought it over to one of the other tables. He quickly mixed it, adding the Chemical X as before.

As soon as this was done, the two of them moved to a safe distance, and the professor told her, "Listen…don't say anything that might jog her memory of what happened. I'm going to try to see if I can work with her to keep those memories suppressed." Bubbles nodded, understanding. A moment later, there was a bright explosion from the bowl, and as expected, they saw Buttercup hovering over it.

Something was wrong, though…she was shivering, her arms folded in front of her. The professor stuck his head up from their safe place, and said, "Are you all right?"

Buttercup ran a hand across her chest slowly, as though contemplating…then, she looked up at the two, her expression returning to its impassive state. "Nice try, professor," she hissed, "but it's not that easy. Our memories return faster after the first time." Before Bubbles could stop her, she flew up the stairs and out of the lab.

"No, _no_!" Bubbles exclaimed. "It didn't work…Professor, we gotta find a way to save them! You gotta do something!"

"I'll try, but that was our best hope," the professor said sadly. "We may have to face the fact that we'll never get our Blossom or Buttercup back again…"

Bubbles smacked her fist on one of the tables, shouting, "No!" The table split and collapsed under the strength of the hit, but she didn't care…she said, "I'll _never_ stop believing it…we can get them back, I know it!"

At that moment, she heard a sound upstairs…it was the steady buzz of the PowerPuff Hotline. Without a word, she dashed upstairs and picked it up, "Hello?"

The Mayor's voice came from the other end of the line, "PowerPuff Girls! I just got into the office, and they told me that Townsville Park is on fire!"

"I know, Mayor," she said, "I'm working on it. Listen, Mayor, you've got to--…"

She heard a faint crash on the other end of the line, and the Mayor said, "Oh…never mind, Bubbles; Blossom's here already, I'll ask her to take care of it…"

__

Blossom?! she thought. Quickly, she yelled, "Mayor! Get out of there!!"

The Mayor's voice continued, a little fainter, like he was speaking away from the phone. "Blossom, there's a giant fire in the pa--…Blossom? Gwaaaaaa! *KRAK*" The line became silent.

"Mayor?! _Mayor_?!" Bubbles called out, hopefully.

There was no response. A few seconds later, though, she heard someone pick up the receiver on the other end, and Blossom's voice came through the line, "Hello, Bubbles."

"B-Blossom!" Bubbles said, her voice filling with hate. "What did you do to the Mayor?"

"Let's just say he has a lot going through his mind right now," she answered. "I'd put Miss Bellum on the line in his place, but she's hung up at the moment…" Her voice was cold, with no trace of humor in it.

"You…you _monster_!!" Bubbles cried out, the tears returning to her eyes once again.

"Not at all," came the reply, "I just thought I'd show you how futile your efforts are. While you were wasting time trying to convert Buttercup, I continued killing. You can't ever hope to save anyone; you must have realized that by now."

"N-no, I'll never accept that," Bubbles said, "I can save them…"

Blossom challenged, "Try and stop us if you must. We look forward to proving you wrong."

With that, there was a click, followed by a dial tone. Bubbles slowly set the receiver back down. She envisioned all the people she knew in Townsville, watching them die at Blossom and Buttercup's hands. Everyone she knew and loved. She pictured the professor, cowering back, as they rose those awful, bloodstained swords…

__

They have to be stopped, Bubbles thought. _For the good of Townsville…it's either them or us. And if it means killing them, I can't be afraid of that…I have to be strong…_

* * *

Blossom hovered over the park, waiting. She held a sword in each hand, and merely stayed there, watching the fire burn down below. It wasn't quite as large of a fire as it was before, but it was still going strong. Huge patches of burnt trees and grass covered the area. The sun had not yet risen, but it wouldn't be much longer now. In the meantime, the fire still cast an eerie glow across that part of the city.

Buttercup flew up to where Blossom was hovering, who said without looking, "You can't let your guard down like that anymore, Buttercup."

"I know," she said. "Thanks for looking after my sword for me." Blossom nodded, and handed it back to her. She took it and slung it onto her back. "So, back to business?"

"Yes, of course," Blossom replied. Then she narrowed her eyes and cocked her head slightly to one side, listening intently. She heard a distant sound approaching, and thought, _Bubbles...well, now it ends, one way or another._

Sure enough, a moment later, Bubbles flew into view, stopping in front of them. "Girls!" she shouted. "You've had it! I'm gonna make sure you never hurt anyone _ever again_!"

"You mean," Buttercup said, "like this?" She turned her head to look at one of the nearby skyscrapers, and fired her eyebeams...it sliced through the lower half of the structure, and the upper half shook unsteadily. Bubbles gasped, and shot towards Buttercup, landing a punch to her jaw...it knocked her back, and forced her to stop firing, but it was already too late...the upper part of the building began to topple over, towards the street. She could see and hear people from the windows, screaming in fear.

Bubbles quickly started to fly towards the building so she could catch it, but before she could even make it halfway there, Blossom fired her own eyebeams in a strong, wide blast. The beam shot past Bubbles and struck the center of the piece of building that was falling. In seconds, the blast ripped through it, and the entire thing exploded into a million pieces.

Bubbles stopped and stared, but only for a moment. She spun back around, ready to attack them again, and saw that Buttercup had recovered from the punch she had received, and was taking shots at passerby's with her eyebeams. Bubbles paled in terror. She could only keep one of them occupied at a time, and in the meantime, the other one would be free to continue the killing spree. It was impossible to keep them both at bay.

Gritting her teeth, she told herself, _Just focus on one of them! Forget about the other one! If you can just stop one, then you can deal with the other later..._ She charged towards Blossom, pulling her sword out. Blossom calmly raised her sword and flew forward, prepared for battle. The two of them reached each other and began a fierce volley of swings and thrusts. The sound of metal against metal reverberated through the air.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Buttercup continuing her attacks on the buildings. _Ignore it_, she thought to herself. _You can't help them that way! Focus!_ She swung her sword again, but this time, she immediately followed it up with a kick. Blossom parried her swing, but the kick struck her in the side, and she plummeted towards the ground below. She stopped just before hitting, but was still dazed. Bubbles dove after her and spun around once, her blade slicing through the air in an enormous arc. She felt it connect.

Blossom dropped her sword and grabbed her shoulder, crying out in pain. The blow had severed off her arm. She reeled back, trying to gain her balance, but the shock of the injury was too much for her. She fell back, passing out on the ground, while blood continued to flow from her shoulder.

Bubbles was visibly shaken, but tried not to let it get to her. She knew what she was getting into, and what she had to do. Blossom was finished now...she was unconscious, and she would die from the blood loss soon enough. She had more important things to attend to...turning around, she saw Buttercup still hovering in the air. She had stopped attacking the people and was paying attention to Bubbles once again.

Bubbles pointed her sword in her direction and said, "You aren't taking her back _this_ time! You have to get by _me_ first!"

Buttercup said, "No problem. Let's see how good you really are, Bubbles." With that, she flew down to the ground and landed, standing and waiting patiently for her to attack. Bubbles frowned, and began to approach.

__

Don't let your guard down, she thought. _She's tough...really tough..._

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Professor Utonium worked long and hard mixing formulas. He had put the PowerPuff recreation research on hold for now, and instead, was working on making Duranium. It was a very difficult metal to create, because of its strength, but he was confident that the process would work. He didn't need very much, anyway, just a little.

Carefully heating the base metals together in the basin, he watched as the nearly indestructible metal began to take form. He carefully poured the special bonding element into the basin, the chemical that gave the metal its durability. The chemical was dissolved, and the molten metal glowed brightly, yet gave off little heat.

It was ready...he worked quickly, as the metal would cool and harden very soon. He tipped the basin, pouring its contents into the molds below. He put a sufficient amount into each separate mold, leaving the metal to cool.

While he waited, he walked over to another table. He took out a wrench and started putting the finishing touches on the device. He frowned a little at it, and sighed, "I hope I never have to use this. I promise, only as a last resort..."

* * *

Buttercup glared silently at Bubbles. The flames that were still burning in the park behind her left her face in shadow. She beckoned, "Well, are you going to fight, or are you too scared?"

Bubbles steeled herself and took a deep breath. _This is it,_ she thought. _You can do it._ She let out a scream, almost a war cry, and threw herself forward, sword at the ready. Buttercup merely watched her close the distance between them, but then suddenly opened fire with her eyebeams. It struck Bubbles' sword, causing her to almost lose her grip on it. She slowed her approach, trying to regain her balance, and that's when Buttercup attacked, leaping towards her with a swing from her own blade.

Bubbles managed to pull her sword up in front of her just soon enough to stop Buttercup's attack, but it was a very near thing. She felt a sudden drop in her confidence, and Buttercup took advantage of this, advancing forward and swinging her sword like mad. Bubbles couldn't make any kind of attack of her own, but instead put all her effort just into keeping from being hit.

She was forced further and further back with each blow. The force of the swords colliding together caused sparks to jump into the air, each time lighting the darkened terrain with a brief flash of blue light. Bubbles eventually bumped her back against a tree...with no where to run, she jumped straight up, as Buttercup's next swing struck the trunk of the tree, slicing through it like it wasn't even there.

Bubbles did a little somersault, landing behind Buttercup...she quickly spun around, swinging her sword, but Buttercup still managed to block it. Bubbles leaped back, and waited, catching her breath, but not taking her eyes off of her sister. Buttercup faced her, and gritted her teeth in anger. She said, "You're getting tired, Bubbles...too bad you can't keep up with me."

"I'll show you...just wait..." Bubbles responded, still breathing heavily. She gathered her strength and flew forward to attack again. Buttercup swung at the same time she did, but when their swords collided, hers struck with much more force. It pushed Bubbles back a step, and knocked her off-balance. Buttercup swung again at once, and her blade sliced into Bubbles' shoulder. She yelped, and stumbled back even further. She clutched her shoulder with her free hand...blood trickled down the length of her arm.

"You can't win," Buttercup reminded her. "You might as well give up."

"Never!" Bubbles declared angrily. She charged forward, holding her sword out point-first, preparing a thrust. Buttercup prepared to knock the blade out of the way with her own, but at the last second, Bubbles kicked off from the ground in a sudden leap to the left. Buttercup was taken off-guard by this move, and Bubbles swung her blade to the right as she passed her. It sliced across her side, a deep cut, and Buttercup gave a short scream, dropping her sword and cringing in pain. She fell to the ground, gripping the cut.

Bubbles stood over her. Buttercup was helpless now...she was in too much agony from the cut to move. It was time to finish her. Bubbles raised her sword slowly.

__

Do it, she thought. _You have to. This is your chance. Put an end to the horror, once and for all._

Something in her mind screamed at her, _No...take her back to the professor. She's your sister! As long as she's alive, you can save her. You can get her back!_

No...she's too far gone! You've tried it already anyway, and look what happened...more innocent people suffered. You can't let it happen again! You might not get another chance at this...kill her now! Do it, before she recovers! Hurry!

But I can't...it's...it's Buttercup...she's my sister...I can't do it! I just can't do it!!

The sword shook in her hand, and she clenched her eyes, trying to sort out her feelings...she thought, _You have to! Everyone's counting on you! More people will die if you don't! It has to end here! It has to end now!! DO IT!!!_

She took a deep breath, and finally decided. _I'm so sorry,_ she thought..._Goodbye, Buttercup..._ She raised the sword higher so she could bring it down at last...

__

*SPLOK*

It was over. Bubbles clenched her eyes shut, stunned by what just happened. She slowly released her hold on the handle of her sword, letting it fall from her grasp, and fell to her knees. Her eyes filled with tears, and she managed to whisper softly, "...n-no...whyyy...."

She toppled forward, landing face first into ground...Blossom was right behind her, awake once again, with her sword planted firmly in Bubbles' back. She gritted her teeth through the blood loss, and managed to hover up off the ground. She pulled the sword free from Bubbles, replacing it on her back, and scooped up both of her sisters underneath her remaining arm. She flew off into the sky, grunting through the pain, "Now...now we will...be together...at last..."

**__**

END OF CHAPTER 3


	4. Chapter 4 (final)

CHAPTER 4 **__**

CHAPTER 4

Buttercup opened her eyes slowly. She found herself hovering over the mixing bowl on the table in their hideout. Before she even had time to realize this fact, she remembered everything from her past life. It was becoming easier each time…there was no phantom pain now, just the memory.

In front of her, Blossom was on the ground, panting heavily. Blood was still coming from her shoulder due to her missing arm. She pointed weakly towards another table, at a pile of sugar, spice, and everything nice sitting on it. "I don't…have much time…" she gasped, "…make sure…Bubbles and I…come back…"

"We don't have time to wait for you to die," Buttercup said. She picked up her sword from the table and, with one fluid motion, slashed Blossom's neck, removing her head. That quickened the process, and in no time at all, her body had also broken back down again. Wasting no time, she loaded both her and Bubbles' components together back into the mixing bowl, stirring them and adding Chemical X.

She flew back and watched the explosion as they were revived. Both Blossom and Bubbles hovered silently over the bowl. Bubbles stared in confusion, while Blossom's face returned to its heartless glare. Buttercup nodded to them, "Welcome back."

Blossom nodded back, "Thank you. Now, as for Bubbles…" She turned to her, and asked, "Do you remember anything?"

Glancing around, she said, "No…where are we?"

"Relax, it will come back to you," Buttercup said. "Your name is Bubbles. Do you remember the fight?"

Bubbles shook her head, "Fight?"

"Yes," Blossom replied. "I was quite the backstabber, you might say…"

Bubbles stared at Blossom for a few moments, and it looked like she was lost in deep thought. Her hands slowly moved behind her to feel her back. She gasped suddenly and cringed, arching her back painfully as the memory of what had happened came back to her.

Buttercup waited until it could all sink in, and said, "You remember everything, don't you?"

Bubbles' eyes were clenched shut, but tears still escaped from them, "I-I remember…"

Folding her arms, Blossom asked, "We already told you our motives, and what we're trying to do. Does it all make sense to you now? About life and suffering? And most importantly, why it must all be destroyed?"

There was silence for a few seconds. Bubbles' face seemed to be a mask of concentration. Very slowly, her eyes opened, and she stared coldly out at the girls. In a voice that was almost a whisper, she said, "Yes…you were right, it all makes sense now…"

"Good," Buttercup said. "Now, nothing can stop us."

"That's right," Blossom said. "Between the three of us, all life will meet its end."

There was a short pause, and then Bubbles, her voice dripping with menace, added, "And finally, the world will be at peace once again…"

* * *

Professor Utonium walked the streets in Townsville, carrying his completed weapon with him. It was large and box-like, with a wide barrel at one end like a launcher. He still didn't want to have to use it, but he knew that he probably would have to. He didn't want to wait around in the lab forever, though…he was too worried for Bubbles' safety.

The streets were in chaos. He almost regretted having to come and see all of it. People were running in panic, buildings were collapsed, fires were blazing…and worse, he could see numerous dead bodies on the sidewalks. Some of them looked like they had been shot with lasers, with little more than a smoking spot on their back. Others, though, were in far worse condition…some of them stabbed through, some decapitated, some of them completely slashed apart.

It was a gruesome sight, and it made the professor realize the seriousness of this situation. He knew that he couldn't let this continue, and wiped out all traces of doubt from his mind on what he needed to do.

He didn't have long to wait. Even thought the sky was still dark, the sun was getting ready to rise, and he could make out three streaks of color flying high above the city. _Three?_ he thought. _But…that would mean…oh no, am I too late?_

The three descended out of the sky, towards the street below. He saw them clearly…Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, all three of them. They stopped just above the street and floated there, staring in his direction, arms folded across their chests and swords slung at their backs. Blossom was the first to speak, "Good morning, Professsor."

"Girls!" he said, angrily. "Stop this madness this instant!"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, we won't. We've just begun, haven't we?" The other girls nodded in agreement.

The professor knew that it had been done…Bubbles had been killed, and was one of them now. He'd lost all three of them, probably forever. Though this filled him with a momentary sadness, he pushed it out of his mind and focused on the task at hand. Raising his weapon, he said, "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice…"

Before he could get a chance to fire, though, Blossom shot a quick blast of her eyebeams, striking the weapon. It didn't damage it, but it knocked it from the professor's grasp. He watched helplessly as it bounced on the ground and slid for a few more feet before coming to a rest, too far away. He knew that if he tried to run for it, the girls would be able to stop him before he reached it.

All three of them, one after another, drew their swords. Even though the professor knew it wouldn't do any good, he pleaded, "Girls, think about what you're doing! Don't you care about what you're doing to your friends? To your family?"

"Of course we do," Blossom answered. "Believe us, they'll be much happier in the nothingness that is death…free forever from the torment of life."

"Well," Bubbles said, gripping her sword tightly, her gaze still locked on the professor, "should I send him on his way?"

Buttercup, although she still didn't smile, remarked, "I like your enthusiasm…but Bloss and I can handle this, right?" Blossom nodded.

Bubbles also nodded in agreement, "As you wish."

With that, Blossom and Buttercup began to hover forward. The professor took a step back, glancing around for a way out, but he knew it was impossible. _Only a miracle can save us now_, he thought…

What happened in the next moment was almost too fast to see. As Buttercup continued her advance, Bubbles suddenly moved up behind her, slashing upward with her sword. It cut a huge gash across Buttercup's back, and she shrieked in startled pain. Blossom spun around to see what had happened, and in that instant, Bubbles had swung her sword back down in the other direction. It clipped her on the face, slicing into her cheek and leaving a long, bleeding cut. She winced and fell back in surprise, grabbing her cheek with her free hand.

The professor looked questioningly at Bubbles, confused. Bubbles looked back at him, and though her expression remained determined, she smiled. _She's…she's okay!_ the professor thought, relieved. _I don't know how, but she's okay!_

Buttercup landed face-first on the ground, and struggled to get up, but it was difficult to move with the cut she had received. Blossom was in shock, and said, "Bubbles, what…why…"

"I'm a good actor, aren't I?" Bubbles said. "I had you _both_ fooled…"

"But…but I thought…you saw Death, like we did…" Blossom started.

"Oh, I did," she explained. "I…I remember the pain, like you did…I even saw what you were talking about, all the bad suffering that life brings. But I saw past it, too. What _you_ didn't see is that, though life _does_ bring pain, there's much more than that. There is love, happiness, laughter…these little things make life meaningful and worthwhile. I realized something…even with the pain, I would gladly face it over again for the good parts. These experiences are what life is all about, not suffering."

Blossom stared silently back at her for a few moments. Bubbles thought she saw tears building in her eyes, as she looked forlornly at the bloodied sword in her hand and whispered, "…What have I done?…"

Bubbles smiled more, thinking, _Yes! I knew it...our Blossom is still there! _"You can still change," Bubbles told her. "You can stop all of this…"

Blossom looked up, tears now streaming from her eyes, and she said, "No one will ever forgive me…_I'll_ never forgive myself…" Her voice faltered, and she sobbed, "It can never be right again…"

"Yes it can…just put that sword down," Bubbles told her. Blossom stared at the sword again, and slowly released it, dropping it to the ground. Bubbles dropped her own sword...the two flew towards each other and hugged. Blossom held on tightly and cried, while Bubbles did her best to console her, "Everything's going to be fine…"

"I'm s-so sorry..." Blossom cried, "I'm..."

"Shhhh...it's all right..." Bubbles said. She thought, _Everything's all right...we're safe again, at last..._

All of a sudden, Blossom stopped crying. She grabbed Bubbles tightly by the neck, and thrust her out at arm's length. Bubbles, struggled for air, trying to pry herself free, but her grip was too tight. The unemotional expression returned to Blossom's face, and she told her, "You're not the _only_ actor, Bubbles. Did you really think your little speech would change my mind? No, I've made up my mind, and my decision is final. Nothing will change it. _Nothing_."

Bubbles couldn't breathe, couldn't speak…she was choking, and felt herself slowly starting to black out. _No, I can't let her win!_ she thought. _But…can't do anything…too strong…_

Blossom's head snapped around, as she heard footsteps behind her. The professor was running for the weapon that was knocked away from him. Blossom wasn't sure what the weapon could do to her, but she decided not to take any chances...swinging Bubbles around, she threw her as hard as she could towards the professor. She collided into him, knocking him off his feet. Blossom picked up both of the swords from the ground, and wasted no time in flying up to a safer distance, heading up for the roof of the nearest buildings, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city.

The professor picked himself back up from the ground and said, "Are you all right, Bubbles?"

Bubbles coughed a few times, rubbing her throat, and finally said, "I'll be okay...*_cough_*...I gotta go stop her, Professor!" The professor nodded, and she started to fly away...but paused, as she saw Buttercup still struggling on the street below.

Buttercup rolled onto her back, cringing in pain, and looked up at Bubbles...she held out her hand, and begged, "Bubbles, please...help me...please..." Bubbles watched her sadly...she was obviously in a lot of pain, she couldn't be faking it with a wound like that. She was about to reach down and help her, when she noticed her reaching slowly for her sword. Knowing it was a trick, Bubbles quickly shot at her with her eyebeams...it struck her in the back, right on her cut. Since her PowerPuff skin wasn't in the way to stop the energy, it bored into her back, creating a brief shower of blood. Buttercup tensed up, gasping once, then fell limp.

Bubbles didn't have the time to feel bad about this...instead, she pried the sword out from her hand, and flew up the side of the building, heading for where Blossom had gone. _If I can just stop Blossom_, she thought, _the nightmare will be over..._

The professor, in the meantime, picked up Buttercup's body. She was still alive, but she wouldn't be for much longer; he decided that he should keep an eye on her until then. He reached down and picked up his weapon from the ground. After examining it, he saw that it was still working. _Bubbles might need my help_, he thought..._I'd better be there for her..._ With the weapon in one hand, and Buttercup under his other arm, he hurried into the skyscraper, looking for an elevator...

* * *

Bubbles landed on the roof, holding her sword out in front of her. Blossom was there, with a sword in each hand, and said, "All you've done is delay the inevitable, Bubbles. Putting an end to life is a serious task, but I think I will make an exception in your case. Getting rid of the only obstacle left in my way will bring me great pleasure..."

Bubbles didn't even bother to say anything in return. _It won't do any good_, she thought. _Just kill her, and be done with it...one way or another, it ends here and now._ She leapt forward without any further hesitation, holding out her sword point-first. Blossom brought both of her swords down, crossing them in an 'X' shape, easily stopping the thrust. She pulled them both upwards, pushing Bubbles sword out of the way.

Charging forward, Blossom immediately swung once with each sword, one after the other. Bubbles moved quickly, parrying both of the blows, and made a swing of her own. With one of the swords, Blossom stopped her attack, and with the other, slashed out at her. It scraped against the surface of her side, drawing a little blood but not creating a serious wound. Bubbles still recoiled a little from the hit, and sensing an opening, Blossom spun once, kicking her in the same spot with her foot. Bubbles was knocked to the side, sliding across the rooftop.

She rose to one knee and barely had enough time to block another series of attacks. They seemed to be coming faster, while she was growing steadily weaker. Deep in the back of her mind, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. She decided that she'd better go on the offensive, or else Blossom will just wear her down with blows. She pulled the sword back and swung as hard as she could.

Blossom stopped the swing, trapping it between the blades of both of her swords. She twisted them once, and Bubbles' sword was wrenched from her hand. It flew off the side of the building. She watched it go, crestfallen. She looked back up at her sister in fear, and Blossom brought both of her swords down, crossing them in an 'X' position again, with Bubbles' neck between the blades near the point where the swords crossed. She held it there, not actually cutting into Bubbles yet, almost like she was savoring the moment. Bubbles was trapped, and beads of sweat rolled down her face.

"It's over, Bubbles," Blossom declared. "You're beaten. More importantly, I can't forgive you for standing in the way of what needs to be done. I could kill you in an instant, dear sister...I could take your head _right_ from your shoulders...but you deserve worse than that. You need to suffer. And _this_ time, I won't bring you back...you will be left to the nothingness of death..."

"B-Blossom..._No_!" Bubbles pleaded, trying one last time to get through to her, "_I love you_!"

Blossom narrowed her eyes. Her voice was as cold as ice as she answered simply, "I don't care." With that, she pulled the swords back, preparing to begin. Bubbles clenched her eyes shut, shaking.

*ssswishTHIP*

Blossom winced, and glanced at her right arm, perplexed. A small, metal spike had struck her there, buried half-way into her hand. It didn't hurt too badly...all it did was make her upset. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the professor...he had come out of the stairwell leading to the roof, and was holding the weapon out in front of him. Buttercup was still under his arm. He was gritting his teeth in anger.

She frowned, "Professor, I'm disappointed...you built a large weapon like that, and all it fired was this tiny little spike? That's pathetic."

The professor shook his head, "Wait for it."

A second later, the metal spike sprouted tiny claws...it burrowed the rest of the way into her hand. Blossom dropped her sword from that hand in surprise, watching the thing disappear, "Wh-what...what's it doing?" She still felt it, and could almost see it moving under her skin. It moved slowly up into her wrist, then started traveling down the length of her arm.

She dropped her other sword, and started clawing at her arm, trying to stop it, but it was far too deep for it to do any good. In the next few moments, it moved completely up her arm and was almost into her shoulder. She started clawing harder, ripping into her own skin and drawing blood, and screamed, "Get it out! _Get it out!!_" She fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder tightly, like she was trying to block it off, but it kept going anyway. As it pulled into her chest, her back arched, and she shrieked in pain as, deep within her, the spike tore into her heart. She writhed in agony, but it was such an intense pain that she was unable to scream, or even breathe. Falling flat against the rooftop, she clutched her chest, and finally, after a few more kicks, she laid still.

Bubbles sat up more, and said, "Professor?"

The professor let out a sigh of relief, and said, "I didn't want to do that...if I knew there was any other way, I would have done it, but there was no saving them." He looked over at Bubbles and asked, "Are you all right?"

Instead of answering, Bubbles flew over to him, hugging him tearfully, "Oh, Professor..."

"I know, Bubbles," he said, "Easy now...it's all right..." After they finished the hug, he set Buttercup's body down and walked over to Blossom to confirm what he already knew. She was definitely dead now...they both were. Almost at the same time, both her and Buttercup's body began to glow, and in two flashes of light, each of them broke into their base components once again.

Bubbles got up and flew over, stopping by Buttercup's pile. She carefully scooped it all up, making sure not to miss anything, and the professor did the same with Blossom's pile. The sun was beginning to rise, and both of them looked over at it. After this long and dismal night, it was a beautiful sight, and they moved to the edge of the rooftop to watch it.

As Bubbles stared off at the sunrise, she said, "Professor…I'm sorry if I scared you back there…"

"I understand, Bubbles," the professor nodded. "I know you had to act that way to fool them. You _did_ frighten me a little, though; I thought you had become like them…"

"I almost did…" she said. Blinking a few times to clear her eyes, she said, "When I…d-died…I could see what they were talking about. Everything they said made sense to me…life was pain, it was all so clear. I felt it…for a moment, I actually felt it…I wanted life to end, _all_ of life, just so that no one would ever feel the same way, ever again… I-I've never thought anything like that in my life…I was so scared…my God, I was s-so scared…" She burst into tears.

The professor looked at her sadly, and said, "You've been through a lot, Bubbles, more than I could possibly imagine. But you're all right; you found the courage to see through all of that…"

Shaking her head, Bubbles said, "No, it's not all right…I was almost just like them. I would have been right at their side, k-killing people the same way they were. I should have stopped them sooner…I should have stopped them when I had the chance, b-before they started…" She swallowed once, and continued, "Now, th-they're gone, the people they killed…some of them were such good friends, and now I'll never see them again…like the Mayor, and Mi--…" Her voice faltered, and she closed her eyes against her tears.

"You did all you could," the professor assured her. "You did more than _any_ of us could. If it weren't for you, it would have been the end for us all. No, if anyone should be blamed for this, it should be me, for starting this whole mess."

Bubbles sniffed, and looked up, "Well, it's all over...let's take them back to the lab. You can take a look at them now, and maybe you can find a way to get rid of those memories from them--..."

"No, Bubbles," the professor interrupted.

She looked over, confused, "What?"

He sighed, staring out at the rising sun, and spoke softly, "It was wrong of me to bring them back to life. I know that now. All it's done is bring about anguish and sorrow. Sure, we could continue trying again and again...maybe there _is_ a way to save them, still...but think about it first. If it _didn't_ work, it could spell the end of all life. The horror would begin all over again, and all just because we couldn't bear their loss. It's too big of a risk to take, Bubbles. It would be wrong to put the world's future on the line for selfish reasons like that."

"But..." Bubbles protested, "...it...it hurts so much..." Tears began to fill her eyes all over again.

"I know it does, sweetie," he said, trying to hold his own tears at bay. "We shouldn't try to reverse death. It may hurt to lose someone dear to us, and we may want to hold onto them for as long as we possibly can...but sometimes, Bubbles, it's better just to let go. Let them return to their eternal rest. We have no right to deny them that. Let them go..."

As the professor finished speaking these words, he closed his eyes, and spread his hands apart slowly. Blossom's sugar, spice, and everything nice fell out from the skyscraper into the air, and was scattered amongst the winds. His expression remained firm, but a tear ran down his cheek.

Bubbles looked down at the pile of sugar, spice, and everything nice in her own hands, all that was left now of Buttercup. She knew the professor was right, and it was time to say goodbye. She closed her eyes and sniffed sadly, then raised the ingredients up, giving them a kiss, before finally releasing it to the winds, as Blossom's had been.

The professor sat on the edge of the rooftop, with Bubbles hugging his side, crying. They both sat for some time, as the sun rose in the sky. A new morning had begun at last...soon the city would be full of life once again, and the horrors of the night would be forgotten...but the memories of Blossom and Buttercup would not soon be forgotten by anyone, and would live on inside them all...

**__**

THE END


	5. URL to Comic Adaption by Steven C Klinks...

Visit the URL below (copy and paste it into a new browswer window) to visit the comic adaption, by Steven C. Klinksiek:

http://www.quasicomics.com/ppgcomics/is/

Post reviews here, and/or email them to the links on the page. Thanks!


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